OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

38.40°N, 6.47°WEurope/Madrid

Nautical Twilight-11.4° (−6° to −12°)

20:34:50

Fri, Oct 23, 2026

PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM10h 9m of true darkness · 13h 7m total night

DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)

TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW

Sunset19:37

Civil Dusk20:04

Nautical20:34

Full Dark21:05

Nadir02:10

Dark Ends07:15

Nautical07:45

Civil Dawn08:16

Sunrise08:43

LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION

SunsetSunrise

LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry

LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous

ILLUMINATION93%

ALTITUDE28.2°

DISTANCE379,844 km

Moonrise18:01

Moonset06:43

HorizonAbove

LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX44% · Moderate Lunar Glow

Milky Way contrast is softened. Bright open clusters and double stars are optimal.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index

56/100

Fair Stargazing

Partial haze or lunar wash. Bright clusters, double stars, and prominent planets remain well visible.

CLOUD COVER15%

HUMIDITY50%

VISIBILITY18 km

DEW POINT10.8°C

PLANETARY EPHEMERIS & ALMANAC

Visible Planets Tonight

All times calibrated to Europe/Madrid

PLANET	STATUS	MAGNITUDE	ALTITUDE	AZIMUTH	CONSTELLATION	RISE	TRANSIT	SET	EQUIPMENT
Venus♀	Below Horizon	-4.3	-16.7°	260°	Libra	09:02	14:04	19:06	Naked Eye
Jupiter♃	Below Horizon	-2.0	-33.1°	335°	Leo	03:09	10:01	16:50	Naked Eye
Saturn♄	Visible Low	0.3	19.8°	105°	Pisces	18:50	00:56	07:02	Naked Eye
Mars♂	Below Horizon	1.0	-32.0°	345°	Cancer	02:23	09:27	16:29	Naked Eye
Mercury☿	Below Horizon	0.4	-2.5°	246°	Libra	10:36	15:28	20:20	Binoculars
Uranus♅	Below Horizon	5.6	-6.8°	56°	Taurus	21:15	04:27	11:44	Binoculars
Neptune♆	Visible Low	7.8	24.2°	111°	Pisces	18:26	00:27	06:27	Telescope

TONIGHT'S VIEWING SCHEDULE

When & Where to Look Tonight

A simple guide to when each object is above your horizon. No astronomy chart reading required.

BEST TIMEHighest in your sky

The MoonNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES18:01

BEST TIME00:16S · 54° high

SETS06:43

Reaches about 54° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.

JupiterNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES03:09

BEST TIME10:01S · 66° high

SETS16:50

Reaches about 66° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.

SaturnNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES18:50

BEST TIME00:56S · 53° high

SETS07:02

Reaches about 53° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.

VenusNaked Eye · Good height

RISES09:02

BEST TIME14:04S · 34° high

SETS19:06

Reaches about 34° above the horizon at its highest point.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.

MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky

RISES02:23

BEST TIME09:27S · 70° high

SETS16:29

Reaches about 70° above the horizon at its highest point.Distinctive crimson hue; polar ice cap discernible near opposition.

OBSERVING LOG & TARGET LIST

Tonight's Prime Deep-Sky Targets

0 / 6 targets logged tonight

M31 / NGC 224 · Andromeda

Andromeda Galaxy

Spiral Galaxy (2.5M ly)

Our galactic neighbor; visible as a ghostly oval smudge with dense radiant stellar core.

M45 · Taurus

The Pleiades (Seven Sisters)

Open Star Cluster

Breathtaking blue diamond cluster enshrouded in delicate interstellar reflection nebulosity.

M42 / NGC 1976 · Orion

Great Orion Nebula

Diffuse Emission Nebula

Star nursery harboring the brilliant Trapezium cluster with sprawling bat-wing filaments.

NGC 869 & NGC 884 · Perseus

The Double Cluster

Twin Open Clusters

Pair of spectacular shimmering jewel-boxes bursting with ruby supergiant stars.

M13 / NGC 6205 · Hercules

Great Globular Cluster in Hercules

Globular Cluster (300k stars)

Massive beehive of ancient stars packed tightly together into a blazing central ball.

M57 / NGC 6720 · Lyra

The Ring Nebula

Planetary Nebula

Delicate glowing smoke-ring left behind by a dying star 2,500 light-years away.